I'm still new to this. What are the reasons for the actors not coming back?

In Japan, your agency owns you. So when some of these Kamen Rider actors became super famous, their agencies no longer allow them to return to Kamen Rider because they feel it's beneath them. Seriously, when you're a working actor/idol/whatever in Japan, you sign your life away. ShinkenRed's actor and Kiva's actor are two examples of actors who have been very open about being willing to return to the show but they aren't allowed.

In Japan, your agency owns you. So when some of these Kamen Rider actors became super famous, their agencies no longer allow them to return to Kamen Rider because they feel it's beneath them. Seriously, when you're a working actor/idol/whatever in Japan, you sign your life away. ShinkenRed's actor and Kiva's actor are two examples of actors who have been very open about being willing to return to the show but they aren't allowed.

That's what I don't understand, why would the agencies say no to money?

Because it's not an issue of money, it's an issue of image. To them, Kamen Rider is beneath them.

Yeah, they're getting enough money siphoning off the top of performer's earnings leaving a lot of them barely enough to get by that they can be selective to maintain their image. There's actually an investigation underway into unfair treatment by agencies in Japan.

Well, some of those names are easier to get. Masahiro Inoue has Garo commitments but otherwise wouldn't be a problem. Mizushima Hiro... has never returned to Kamen Rider so far and he's a big name as well, so seems unlikely (even if the leaked image shows Hyper Kabuto it doesn't mean much). Faiz and Blade returned several times recently.

Tom Fujita tho? Amazon Neo Omega would just rip off their limbs and be done with that.

Of course Masahiro would come back. He's basically the Toku equivalent of David Tennant

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xenotome

Yeah, they're getting enough money siphoning off the top of performer's earnings leaving a lot of them barely enough to get by that they can be selective to maintain their image. There's actually an investigation underway into unfair treatment by agencies in Japan.

It's not exactly WRONG though. GoT is written for adults. KR/SS, while better than Power Rangers, is clearly written for a younger audience (though I'll say that Ex-Aid did a good job of not talking down to the audience).

This begs the question, if these agencies feel that way about Kamen Rider, why let them even star in it in the first place?

Because it is a GREAT stepping stone. A nationally syndicated TV show that's a national icon. Takeru Sato, Tori Matsuzaka, & Suda Masaki never would of taken off like they did if not for their big breaks in Toku.